June 17, 2006

Typo news and other updates

Hi Folks,

I just sent out a new sandwich dough recipe and Ulrike, our intrepid German tester, noticed a typo on the milk weight (grams). It should read 227 grams, not 487 (in the soaker section--the 8 ounces is correct). Please make that change. I sent out the correction to about half of you but then my Yahoo mailman said I'd used up my "send" quota for the day so I have to wait until Sunday to reach the rest of you. Mea Culpa....

Also, another tester, Dan Haggerty, wrote in about a sugar beet syrup from Germany that he prefers to molasses. I always wondered if there were a molasses-like by-product from sugar beets, as there is from sugar cane, and I guess now we know. He says German bakers use it a lot in rye breads--makes sense to me. If anyone knows more about this product please feel free to write. You can Google it, Dan says, by plugging in zuckerrubensirup or roggen (rye). You can also substitute cane syrup (which is just a more refined molasses and tastes gooood, kind of like sorghum syrup) or even barley malt syrup (it's non diastatic, so it's safe to use as a flavoring agent) or agave syrup, the new "hot" product on the market. They all work and add different shades of flavor to your bread.

Finally, for those of you who are not testers and may be new to this blog, let me give you the e-address to reach me: recipetesters@yahoo.com or peter.reinhart@jwu.edu I'd hate for you to have to read through every post on this blog trying to find a way to write to me. If anyone knows how to set up an "e-mail me" button on this blog please let me know so we can make it easier for you to write. I feel like an idiot when it comes to these kind of things (as well as every time I send out a recipe typo).